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EPF WAS PRESENT AT THE WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BERKELEY

Publié le 22/06/2018

On June 8, 2018, was held at the University of California, Berkeley, a round table organized by the WITI with more than twenty guests of honor to discuss the promotion of a more inclusive and equitable environment for women in technical fields.

A round table composed of participants with exceptional paths to bring sustainable solutions

In 2017, CITRIS (The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) & the Banatao Institute and UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering came together to launch the Women in Tech Initiative (WITI) at the University of California, Berkeley. Build on the Women in Technology Leadership Round Table initiated in fall 2015 by Professor Tsu-Jae King Liu, recently named Dean of The UC Berkeley College of Engineering and Dr. Camille Crittenden, this initiative aims at developing sustainable solutions to increase the presence of women in technology and technology-related areas in the US economy.

On June 8, 2018, was held at the University of California, Berkeley, a round table organized by the WITI with more than twenty guests of honor to discuss the promotion of a more inclusive and equitable environment for women in technical fields. In summary, come up with suggestions for overcoming gender-based challenges and improving the workplace climate for all. This round table made up of women and men playing a crucial role in this respect had a peculiarity: at this edition, Liliane Dorveaux, Deputy Director of the Montpellier Campus was the only foreigner to be invited to take part in this discussion.

Indeed, Ms. Dorveaux had the honor to participate in this peerless exchange following a meeting of Stefan Seiler, Head of the International Department at EPF with members of the University of Berkeley. During this meeting, Mr. Seiler had the opportunity to promote the work of EPF with its partner INWES (International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists) which is a global network of organizations of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), reaching over 60 countries worldwide.

EPF, a key player in the promotion of women in the field of engineering

Ms. Dorveaux whose’ invitation purpose was to present EPF and the French model of promoting scientific studies for girls in France had the opportunity to exchange with key players from different backgrounds, such as for example, members of the University of Standford, working on creating a more supportive environment for everyone. This visit triggered to the new Dean and the Deputy Director of the Montpellier Campus, a desire to implement a collaborative project between a Berkeley student’s association and students of EPF. The beginning of this collaboration between the two institutions is scheduled for September 2018.

Ms. Dorveaux says "this rewarding experience has been a way to discover the American model of improving access to training and employment in technology and engineering for women, but also the opportunity to connect with key players working for the same goals and shaping the job market of tomorrow".

EPF is proud to have been able to participate in such event at one of the most prestigious universities in the world and the top public university in the United States. Such action shows the admiration of EPF’s counterparts for its strong history but also for its mission of empowering and bridge-building.